Robertson tips Paterson to lead the Scots' line

16th November 2018, 13:30 by Craig Smithson

Cardiff's Callum Paterson has been backed by former Scotland international John Robertson to play in the main striker role for them.

The versatile 24-year-old has been a key man for Bluebirds' boss Neil Warnock since arriving from Scottish Premiership outfit Hearts in summer 2017, as he scored 10 goals in the side's Championship promotion campaign despite playing the majority of his football at right-back when he was north of the border.

Paterson, who has been utilised in a more attacking role at Cardiff, has also made an impressive start in the Premier League with three goals in his last four games.

His previous outings for Scotland have been in a right-back or wing-back role, but former Hearts' legend, Robertson, firmly believes that Scots' boss Alex McLeish should use him as a striker in the country's Nations League double-header against Albania and Israel.

"Paterson is athletic, really good in the air, can hold the ball up, and has a goal in him as well," Robertson said.

"He can stretch defences, and if we do that, we have a plethora of players who can play off him - Ryan Fraser, Callum McGregor, Ryan Christie, James Forrest - and Stuart Armstrong is pretty good at getting from middle to front too.

"There is plenty of energy and plenty of legs there to go and excite the crowd. We need to excite the Scotland fans. There is a malaise about Scotland at the moment. We seem pedestrian and don't go at teams."

This article originated on sportinastorm.com

Craig Smithson is a journalist with over two decades of experience at the keyboard. A life-long Middlesbrough fan, Craig has an in-depth knowledge of all football and is also a keen fan of boxing amongst other sports.

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